


Bittersweet Confusion

by Lopaka_Tanu



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, M/M, Sexual Content, Unrequited Love, Werewolf Bonding, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-19
Updated: 2011-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-27 13:49:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/296533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lopaka_Tanu/pseuds/Lopaka_Tanu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being abducted leads to an emotional revelation for Will.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bittersweet Confusion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Deense](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deense/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I do not claim any ownership of Sanctuary, the plot to the series, or any character therein.
> 
> Author's Note: Probably a little more shipy than the recipient requested, but that's for a purpose. I swear, it's not the central plot.

Breathing hurt, his sides ached from the strain. Supporting another's weight when he barely had the strength to walk was killing him. Every muscle in his body protested, but he couldn't stop. Will wanted nothing more than to rest for even a minute. Yet, there was no time, every step put more space between them and...whatever that had been. He couldn't recall, only knew they had to get away!

His bare feet slapped against rough cut stones. He couldn't be sure if they were bricks or just rock. There was no light here. The dark tunnel had been the only escape route he had seen in the dimness of the lab.

Had it been a lab?

He slowed for a moment, just enough time to readjust the arm he had around Henry. There was no choice since his grip had started to slip again. Sweat drenched the entire right side his body, but wasn't his. Every where they touched burned like fire. Will was afraid to check why for fear of how bad it might be.

There hadn't been a chance when he awoke that last time before escaping.

Who knew how long they had been in that place? Yes, it was coming to him in flashes with each step. He could now remember the escape. No one had been there to knock him out, so he'd taken his chance to escape. That was the easy part, since neither of them had been chained up or locked away.

'Who needed to do either when we were unconscious all the damned time,' he thought? That wasn't right, though, he couldn't remember why. Will was too tired to think rationally.

Henry grunted with every step, his breathing hoarse. Where his arm draped over Will's shoulders was more clinging just to hang on than to support his own weight. There were moments when his feet literally dragged.

"Hang on, Henry. We're almost there." Something stung at Will's eyes, making them ache and water. He didn't know what they had done to the other man or to himself for that matter. Henry'd barely been coherent before, but was silent now. Shivering, Will rubbed at his nose. When he inhaled, it was with a pained grimace.

Even over the stink of their bodies, he could smell the awful stench of human waste. Thankfully, his bare feet only encountered rough stone floor. This shaft wasn't typical in formation for one, but it still stank of a sewer. He realized this tunnel had to be branched off a main sewer line some where. If he could find where, getting to a manhole cover would be a snap!

Henry slowly leaned harder against him, making Will take more of his weight. With each step he became more of a burden.

Still, Will forced himself to carry on. There was no slowing down, no resting, no leaving anyone behind! The muscles in his lower back clenched painfully, making him cry out.

The arm on his shoulders weakly tightened against his back. "You okay, Will," Henry asked in a strained whisper? His hot breath ghosted over Will's cheek.

Will almost dropped him. The voice had been right in his ear. When had he gotten so close? Feeling his eyes flutter, he shivered. He was really bad off if he couldn't tell where Henry was. "Yeah."

Groaning, he struggled to keep his grip around the Were's chest tight. As it was, his fingers slid up under his pit and gripped over the muscles of the man's arm.

Jerking a little, Henry gasped. When he spoke, his voice took on a husky quality. "Easy, I'm sensitive there." He placed his face in the crook of Will's neck.

The feel of Henry's stubbly cheek against his throat made Will swallow. "Stay with me, guy. We're going to make it through this one." He heard the man breathe deeply and his heart sped up. How much further until they really were to the sewer and escape?

"I know." The rumble of his voice tickled Will's skin and he chuckled. "Anyone ever tell you, Will, you smell really, really good?"

It was then that he realized that Henry wasn't having trouble breathing, but was sniffing him. His chest constricted and he swallowed in alarm. "Uh, what exactly are you..." he trailed off with a shudder of pleasure as something warm and slick slid over his collar bone. It was wrong, so wrong. "Henry! Now's not the time!"

The only response was a low, rumbling growl.

Eyes clenched shut, Will forced himself to walk on. The weight of Henry pushing closer against him nearly threw him off balance and he stumbled a few steps. "Hey. Talk to me." He couldn't keep the tremor out of his voice, but finished with a chuckle for effect. Another lick over his collar bone ended up his neck, just under his jaw. "I, uh, would appreciate you not doing that."

A familiar animalistic huffing sounded from the skin under his ear. Then the Were pressed his cold nose against Will's cheek.

Will's aching back went rigid. Under his supporting arm, he could feel the fluid shifting of Henry's body. Smooth skin gave way to coarse fur and densely packed muscle. The body leaning on him grew larger and more hunched until he was leaning back to support the new wolf. The shift finally forced him to stop walking. Henry whined in his ear, pressing fully against him.

That was when he felt it.

At first, Will wasn't certain what exactly he was feeling. Heavy and solid, it rest against his hip. His torn slacks prevented him from feeling it in detail, but he could tell the shape enough to make his eyes go wide. "Oh! Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

As if in response to his words, the wolf pressed harder against Will, his hips giving a tentative thrust. This pushed the mass higher up until it poked him in the belly. His plaintive whine ended with a deep base grumble.

Feeling the slick tip slide over his stomach made Will tremble. "Henry, we don't have time for this!" The wolf licked over his ear this time, crossing his cheek and ending in his hairline. Will recoiled with a disgusted wince. "Euh! I'm going to neuter your furry butt when we get back to the Sanctuary."

Whining again, the wolf sniffed at his cheek. He thrust harder, desperately trying to rub against Will.

Will took a step backwards, releasing the wolf to stand on his own.

The sudden loss of support caused him to fall forwards. The beast's claws shot out to grab at Will, catching on his pants.

Feeling the tug on his last scrap of clothes, Will shook his head in denial. "Oh, no, no, no!" Instinctively, his hands found those of Henry's shifted form and gripped them tight. Pulling them free, he needed to do something to keep them from coming back. So, he laced their fingers together.

It occurred to Will as he stood there that he was essentially holding hands with a horny Werewolf in the middle of dark tunnel under Old City. To make matters worse, it was the better of two situations. He was too stunned to move. Things would go down hill quickly if he didn't act soon. Just, the absurdity of it stayed his feet.

Henry whined at him. The wolf flexed their fingers together.

Sensing the heat of the wolf's body as it drew nearer, Will made a quick decision. Releasing one hand, he jerked the other close. "Try and keep up!" Dragging the wolf by one hand, Will started down tunnel again. There was a quick jolt on his hand in the other direction, but he refused to let go. Then he felt the wolf following along.

Will moved on from a painful stagger to a quick limp. His legs twinged with each step, making him bite his lip to keep from crying out.

The wolf dogged his heels every step of the way. Every few moments, he felt him sniff at him, but the other kept his distance.

He picked up speed with a shake of his head. "Good job, Henry." That sounded so wrong. Wincing, he continued on. Already, he could hear the dripping of water over the slaps of their bare feet. "Can you hear it? We're almost there, boy!"

A warning growl came from the wolf.

"Sorry." Giddy with relief, Will didn't really mean it. He was light headed and dizzy, not sure what he felt at all. Barely managing to keep his feet under him, he staggered along at what he felt was a remarkable pace considering how his body acted.

How long before his legs gave out? Already, they twitched when he stepped. It was taking almost as much effort to keep them under control. Sheer will power kept him going. Will giggled. Will power alone powered Will. They quickly died down to snickers.

The darkness was endless. After what felt like ten minutes of non-stop shambling along, he could feel no difference in the tunnel beneath his feet. The dripping he had heard was gone now. All that remained was that he held on to wolf Henry's hand.

Losing a little momentum, he wasn't afraid to admit he sobbed a little. No tears, just a hitching in his breath and slight clenching in his chest. It was all very manly, and he'd be able to admit it to Bigguy later. If only he could find that damned sewer!

Head swimming, Will was startled to find his knees hitting the ground. "What?" When had he stopped? He couldn't remember even slowing down.

The wolf pressed his nose against Will's neck, sniffing at him.

That did it. Dropping his chin to his chest, Will sighed in defeat. They were never getting out of here. It had all been for nothing.

Yawning, he sat back as his thigh muscles began to protest. The names of each escaped him at the moment, but then again, not much came to mind any ways. He was so damn tired. It was a relief when he reached out and found a wall to lean against.

Much to his surprise, the wolf was right there at his side, curling against him. He could feel the massive head bump against his stomach as he laid down. Sighing, he let Henry sleep on his lap and eased himself into a comfortable position against the stone walls. When he felt hot breath huffing at his crotch, he thumped the wolf on the nose.

Henry's whimper was the last thing he heard as he drifted off again.

~~~~~~~~~

With a half-snort, Will came awake. Head rising from his chest, he groaned softly. His back hurt. His neck also hurt. Hell, everything hurt. Why had he fallen asleep sitting up again? It did nothing good for his body. Even his legs were asleep. That was hours of pain in the making.

Shivering, he opened his eyes. The world was still dark. Feeling the weight of it press against him, he took a shuddering breath. He remembered.

The lab. There had been a lab. He couldn't re...Scowling, he scrubbed at his chin. What he had thought was drool refused to flake off. It took him a moment to realize it was, in fact, whiskers. There was a couple days growth, at least.

How long had they been down here?

They? It felt like Henry's shoulders and head were settled comfortably over his folded legs. That would explain why there was little feeling in them. Like a moron, he glanced down at his lap to confirm. It took him a moment to realize he couldn't see anything, let alone wolf Henry. Feeling stupid, he put a hand in his lap, carefully feeling for the man's face.

He found him.

Baby soft skin covered in a similar amount of facial hair as his own, Henry was curled against his body in human form. Will cupped his hand against the sleeping man's cheek. He could tell by the even breaths over his skin.

They had to get out of here. He knew time was imperative, but was reluctant to wake Henry. Above the potential embarrassment from a horny wolf, he didn't really want to wake the man. To be honest, he liked having Henry there. It was purely selfish and he didn't care.

That was when he heard Henry snort. A gust of hot air swept over his stomach.

"Mmm, god, my head's killing me." Henry's voice was scratchy. He shifted in Will's lap, bringing an arm up that hit the other in the side. "What?"

Will snorted. He felt a smile tug at his lips. "Good morning, Henry." Grasping Henry's hand, he brought it to the man's cheek.

"Will, is that you?" Voice cracking again from sleep, this time it went higher in embarrassment. "Please tell me this is a dream." He scrubbed the hand over his cheek, moving under Will's guidance.

"Sorry, 'fraid not." His cheeks were now aching from all the smiling. He was glad Henry couldn't see, though. It was going to be bad enough when the other man realized he was naked.

Henry shivered. "Oh man. Am I...in my birthday suit?" For a moment, he tensed and curled against Will's thigh. Then he rolled off with a gasp.

Sensation returned with an excruciating rush of blood to his legs. Groaning, Will hunched forward and clutched at them. Tears clogged his eyes and he nearly screamed. The returning blood felt like bubbles of acid as it flowed through his veins. Tears ran down his cheeks when he forced his legs to stretch out.

Shaky with pain, he clutched backwards at the wall for support. His chest heaved with each breath, trying desperately to relieve even a tiny bit. It was several moments coming before he could speak. All that came out, though, were grunts.

When soft fingers touched at his cheeks, Will instinctively closed his eyes. They slid over his chin and down to his chest.

"Tell me where it hurts, Will." Voice choked with some emotion, Henry hovered nearby. His fingers slid over Will's body, carefully pressing at several locations.

Stunned, Will could only shake his head. He tried to say no where several times, but ended up grunting. His legs hurt too much. With enough time, he gathered the strength to knock Henry's fingers aside.

The other man leaned in close enough that his breath now blew over Will's cheeks. "Come on, please, let me help." Henry was near panic now. "I can't help you unless you talk to me."

"Legs," Will some how grit out. "Sleep!" The effort nearly made him pass out. Legs still feeling like they were on fire, he rocked forward. Clutching at his thighs, he rubbed them up and down.

"Legs sleep?" There was a pause before he spoke again. "Your legs. Oh!" Leaning down, the man's hands quickly found Will's legs and began to rub at them in an attempt to restore circulation. "I am so sorry! I swear, I had no idea."

Relief was almost instant. Closing his eyes, Will sat back, resting his head against the wall. "Quiet, please." He didn't really want to tell the man to shut up, but, damn it, this felt too good to interrupt. Full feeling returned, almost as painful from the lack of actual pain.

They sat there for several minutes, Henry rubbing at his legs and Will quietly enjoying the ease to his ache. Eventually, though, the silence got the better of them.

"I think you can stop now." Sighing, Will now leaned against the wall, relaxed and almost at ease. The only pain in his legs was now from being overworked the day before. Well, he assumed it was the day before. He didn't quite know what was going on with time.

Henry sighed to himself. "Good. That's good." Leaning forward, he put a hand between Will's legs. "I gotta tell you, this is turning out to be one of the strangest mornings for me, ever."

"Yeah, well, it's not my best either." Which wasn't a complete lie. There had been a lotta pain. "Any idea how we got here?"

"Not a clue." That was followed by a chuckle. "Last I can remember clearly, we were making a run for Chinese."

Eyes closing, Will nodded. He remembered that much now. "Oh yes, Erica." A hint of irritation in his voice surprised him.

Chuckling, Henry sounded happy. "Yeah, kid's already got an appetite for the good stuff."

"You do realize it's not your kid, but Erica's own body craving something in the food, right?" And that just sounded all kinds of peevish. Will mentally kicked himself.

The other man grew quiet for a moment. "Yeah, I know." His voice quiet, he was further away now.

With a groan, Will brought his hands up to wipe at his face. "Look. I gotta get out of here. This dark, it's making me..."

"I so get ya, man." Then Henry's hand was grabbing Will's and jerking him off the floor.

Will was tottering around for a moment on less than prepared feet, head reeling, before he caught his balance on something solid. "Whoa! Talk about a head rush." He totally deserved that.

The something solid moved a bit, leaning in closer.

He figured out what it was when Henry's warm breath ghosted over the pulse point in his neck. Will froze. At the touch of Henry's nose to his flesh, he trembled and swallowed. Eyes closed, he ignored any thoughts about what this might mean and just enjoyed it.

As fast as he was there, Henry stepped back. He still had a hold of Will's hand and he tugged him along. "Come on, let's find that way out."

With Henry's nose on the case, he had no doubt it would be short work. For some reason, that left him feeling a little less inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't believe it." Staring at the Sanctuary, a feather coulda knocked him over. Light headed, Will could only grunt out a half-hearted laugh. "You have got to be kidding me."

Rubbing at his left eye, Henry scowled in annoyance. "'fraid not." He kicked the manhole cover back in place.

The street was hot under his bare feet. Flexing his toes, Will shook his head. How had he not known? "Less than a hundred feet from the friggen Sanctuary, all this time!" Arms wide, he gestured at the world around them. On impulse, he searched the streets and nearest buildings. There was nothing unusual and no one about. "How did this happen?"

"Beats me, you're the mental genius." Henry scratched at his stomach, following the trail of hair going down to his crotch.

Will couldn't stop himself. He stared at the other man, openly admiring what he saw. "Uh, Henry."

Scowl still in place, Henry glanced over at Will. "What," he snapped? From the looks of things, he was working up a way to hunt down whatever had taken them with his machines and finishing them off in painful ways.

"You do realize, you're not wearing any clothes, right?"

It was almost comical, the way Henry's eyes bulged almost out of his head. The next second, he was hunched over and covering his crotch with both hands. "Will! How could you not tell me?" He now scowled at said man. "Not cool, man, not cool at all!"

Unable to look away, Will's cheeks burned. "I think I just did." He felt incredulous laughter bubbling up and it loosened his tongue. "So, you've been working out lately?"

"Oh, jeeze! This is the last thing..." With a growl, Henry started an awkward jog towards the Sanctuary.

This, Will didn't bother to stop himself from watching either, even as he followed along.

~~~~~~~~~~

The book in his lap was heavy. That was partially why he had chosen it. He needed something to ground him in reality and away from his own thoughts. It was too tempting to get lost in fantasies and dreams at the moment. Fingering the spine, Will looked up across the desk to Magnus.

She was facing the screen on the wall above her mantle. The opened pen hung limp between her fingers. "Extraordinary."

From by the screen, Henry snorted. "You'd say that, not having actually been part of it." He ran two fingers over the screen of his tablet, summoning something that appeared on the flat screen beside him.

"No, she's right," Will found himself saying. He didn't really mean it, it was just something to say. Still, the thought gave him a whole new line of others to focus on. "We can't be sure what they were after, but I believe their intent wasn't harmful." When he looked over at Henry, he found the man scowling at him.

It was her turn to pick up the conversation like this was some manic, justification relay race. "That they didn't do you any lasting harm, and kept you sedated during their examination speaks volumes to that fact." Gesturing with her pen, Magnus smiled hopefully at Henry. "They really only seemed to be...curious. It was almost scientific in their thoroughness."

That only earned her a scowl from the Were. "Great, that's all I want to think about, being a guinea pig for some Abnormal mad scientist." The image rotated under Henry's touch. "Their lab, for lack of a better word, is set up pretty standard, minus all the modern equipment."

Almost maniacal in her happiness, Magnus smiled brilliantly at him. "I suspect they had other means of performing their experimentation."

"All right, I've heard enough." Surprising even himself, Will snapped the book closed. It's familiar weight was no longer enough to keep him anchored to the chair. Rising up, he set it down on Helen's desk and smiled tightly back at her. "You can continue this without me. I've got other," he threw a thumb over his shoulder, "you know. Things, stuff, patients, people."

Closing her eyes with a tiny grin, she nodded.

Will sighed with relief and spun for the door. This maybe every day common occurrences in her experience, but it was a first for him. Passing Henry, he stared at the man in sympathy. He was stuck going over this with their boss. Unable to stop himself, he glanced the other over, taking in the way his clothes hugged his body with a pleasant thrill. "Good luck."

Jaw set, Henry grunted. "Yeah, yeah, sure."

When he met the steely gaze, Will found himself swallowing. For a moment he could have sworn there was something more. Before he could think on what, it was gone and they were simply staring at each other again. Smiling weakly, he continued on.

~~~~~~~~~

Checking his penmanship, Will scrawled the same three words out on the legal tablet. Each time was slightly different than the last. They were still legible, though, which was the important part. Going digital was horrible for his handwriting. There were times he had to remind himself how to even hold a pen.

By the time he had finished the last word with a flourish, he was almost ready to hear the throat that cleared. Even so, it still startled him enough that he dropped the pen. Wide-eyed, he looked up at Helen.

She stood in front of his desk with a knowing grin, hands folded. The air of comfort about her signaled that she had been standing there for quite some time.

Had he really been that distracted?

Shaking his head, he exhaled through puffed out lips. He dragged his hands over his face to rub at his tired eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"I think that's my line." She stepped over to one of his patient chairs and sat gracefully down in the wingback. Folding her hands in her lap, she raised her face a little. "How are you holding up? You departed quite suddenly earlier."

For a moment, he could only stare at her helplessly. Exhaling again, he shook his head and threw up his hands. "How do I even... I've got no idea. It's not something I've ever thought about." That wasn't exactly true. During their dealings with the Cabal, he'd had several hours to think about it late at night because of nightmares keeping him from sleeping. Not that he was telling her that. She had enough of her own nightmares courtesy of them.

Nodding, she closed her eyes for a moment. "Henry tells me that you were responsible for both of you getting out of there. He doesn't remember much about how." She finished with a raised eyebrow. It was obvious she was fishing.

He wasn't biting. Shaking his head, he looked away. "I can't remember much, either. Whatever they drugged us with, it was pretty powerful." He took a shuddering breath. Will never liked lying to her. Rubbing at his chin, he kept his gaze on nothing to avoid looking at her. He knew, if she looked at him just once, it would all come spilling out.

"Well, I suppose it might be a blessing enough that you're here now. That's what matters, after all." Her voice held a certain edge to it. The tone was hard to place. "I know Henry is grateful that he made it back to be with his mate and their unborn child. Now that she's around more, his instincts are starting the bonding with his pack."

That was a strange turn of phrase for her. Slightly startled, he once more looked to her with raised eyebrows.

She met his questioning gaze with a immutable one of her own. It wasn't stern, but then she wasn't exactly friendly either. It was almost like she was lecturing him...

Something welled up in his throat and he had to swallow to keep from choking. For a moment, he felt light-headed and unable to form words.

His cheeks burned and he could no longer meet her stare. For some reason, he felt like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He supposed that was exactly what she meant him to experience. Chastised, he could only nod.

She sighed and stood. "It's truly good to have you back, Will."

He heard her leave, but was still too stunned to move.

~~~~~~~~~~

Examining the spine, Will read the title. The book was something Kate had sent from her last trip to India. It was supposedly a history of possible encounters with Kali. He smiled, tapping the worn leather. Garris was making her schmaltzy.

"That's a fond smile. Must be thinking about Abby."

Startled, Will closed his eyes with a shoulder heaving sigh. "What is it with people in this house and sneaking up on others?" He glance over to Henry with a 'fond smile'. "You're up late."

Even in the dim light from the bedstand's lamp, Henry's dimple's were clear and glowing. He smiled at Will, almost guileless. "Yeah, been tinkering with something. You know."

"I do." Will nodded. Taking the book, he walked over to the wooden crate by the room's single chair.

Henry followed his every move. When he saw the crate, his smile dimmed a little and the dimples disappeared. "You packing, Will?"

Will took a moment to set the book inside with the others, lovingly stroking the cover. Then he turned to Henry. "Just a few things."

By now, the man's smile was now entirely gone. "You going some where?" He tilted his head a little, almost like a dog afraid to be struck.

This made something in Will's chest clench, but he didn't show it. "I'm not leaving." He paused to take a breath, giving himself time to figure out how to phrase it. "I, just, need...a place of my own. With all that's happened recently, it's become a little cramped, figuratively speaking."

A look of pure relief came over Henry's face. Raising his hands, he gestured at the room around him. "I completely understand! Things have become pretty heavy around here. A change of venue might be a good idea." Looking at the now almost bare shelves, he got a pained expression. "But, do you actually have to move out? Couldn't you, I dunno, take a vacation?"

"I need my own space." It sounded pathetic in his own ears. He walked back to the bookshelf on the far wall. Grabbing another stack of books, he didn't bother to check what they were. Taking them, he carried them to the crate and dropped them in. When he turned to go back for more, he found his way blocked.

Reaching out, Henry clasped Will's shoulders. His earnest expression barely concealed the man's urge to interrogate him. "Will, what's really wrong?" When he didn't immediately open up to him, Henry gave him a squeeze. "Come on, I'm your buddy. If you can't talk to me, who can you?"

But, that was the problem in a nutshell. Helen had been right to warn him. They were becoming too close. Only, he couldn't tell Henry that. He knew the man would take it too hard.

Sighing, Will tapped Henry on the side, gentle and trying to convey friendship. He barely managed to smile, but he was certain it came out a little bittersweet. "I'm just going through a phase. Being here, directly under Magnus' authority, it's chaffing a bit."

Oh, good, blame the boss. That wouldn't cause more problems than the truth. Still, he couldn't much admit to himself what he really wanted, let alone to this man. That was beyond the acceptable limits of even their group dynamic.

And by the disbelief in Henry's eyes, he wasn't buying it either. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Nodding, Will reached up to pry Henry's sturdy grip off his shoulders. For a moment, he let his fingers trail over the solid, calloused palms before releasing them. That was all he would let himself have. It wasn't nearly enough. Chest hurting, he nodded once more. "I need some place to myself that is mine alone. You understand."

Stepping back, Henry closed off emotionally. "Yeah." A lingering sad tilt of his lips quickly disappeared. "Yeah. I can understand."

Walking past him, Will continued on to the bookshelf. He deliberately kept his back to Henry, even long after he heard the man leave. Will refused to think about it. Grabbing another stack, he carried it back to the crate. One day, Henry would see, it was better this way.

He just had to keep telling himself that.

 

THE END..................................


End file.
